


Hollow

by potentiality_26



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, Ficlet, Mentions of Murder, Pre-Relationship, Story: The Adventure of the Abbey Grange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-02 20:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16794241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potentiality_26/pseuds/potentiality_26
Summary: She had been watching Stella Hopkins for a while- from where she sat at the other end of the bar, and also in general.  She knew Hopkins was trying to make a name for herself and figured that Sherlock Holmes could be a good way to do that; either she would come out the other side of it or she wouldn’t.  Sally hoped it would be the former, obviously- but she saw hints of the latter in the speed at which Hopkins had been drinking all night.A strange case.





	Hollow

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on a fic based ACD/Granada’s Abbey Grange, and it made me think about a more modern interpretation of that case, and how it might have been handled by Sherlock’s version of Hopkins. This is the result. I don’t actually remember what case she really brought Sherlock in the show, so sorry if this ignores anything in canon. 
> 
> Not Brit-picked.

“Let me buy you a drink,” Sally said. 

She had been watching Stella Hopkins for a while- from where she sat at the other end of the bar, and also in general. She knew Hopkins was trying to make a name for herself and figured that Sherlock Holmes could be a good way to do that; either she would come out the other side of it or she wouldn’t. Sally hoped it would be the former, obviously- but she saw hints of the latter in the speed at which Hopkins had been drinking all night.

Well. There was no reason for her to be drinking alone. 

Hopkins shot her a long look and said, “All right. Thanks.” For a moment, the slow thorough pan of her eyes made Sally wonder if Hopkins recognized her from work at all, if she maybe thought Sally was there to make a different kind of offer. It made Sally wonder, too, if she would mind that. But then Hopkins said, “Bad case, today,” and Sally knew that they were on the same page after all.

She nodded. “Want to talk about it?” She supposed if Hopkins did then she could listen in supportive silence, and if Hopkins didn’t she could drink in supportive silence instead.

Hopkins nodded too, and then she started talking about abusive bastard husbands, and about two women who may or may not have removed one such abusive bastard husband from the world- and pretty handily framed some notorious burglars for it in the bargain. She talked about how no arrests had yet been made, no reports yet written. She talked about hollow victories and just possibly righteous defeats. 

As she talked and Sally listened, Sally realized two things. One was that if anyone other than Lestrade _could_ come out the other side, it would probably be Stella Hopkins. The other was that, the next time they wound up in the same bar like this, Hopkins might not be wrong if she thought Sally was making a different kind of offer. She said, “Have you decided what to do yet?”

“I think...” Hopkins’ eyes lit with a bright thoughtful look that Sally wanted to see more of. “I think I’ll see what Mr. Holmes has to say. You heard he’s... advising me?”

“I heard.” 

“Well. If he says there’s nothing more to it than the obvious...”

“Yeah,” Sally agreed. Sherlock Holmes still wasn’t her favorite person, but at the moment he was reasonably popular with the higher ups. That might just be enough plausible deniability to let a thing slide, as long as no one innocent was ever accused of the crime. "Well. Here's to making something good out of a bad case, if that's possible." Sally lifted her glass.

Hopkins smiled and did the same. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come see me on [tumblr](http://potentiality-26.tumblr.com) or [dreamwidth](https://potentiality-26.dreamwidth.org). The dreamwidth account is slightly dead at the moment, but that might change if things get a little busier over there.


End file.
